Are you content? I mean really content? The Bible makes it clear that our satisfaction is not contingent on any earthly source. But in Christian circles, our conversations surrounding the issue of contentment are insufficient. We preach that “God’s love is enough.” So what more could we ever want…

In this article, we’ll cover 5 common mistakes that can be detrimental to your Christian faith. We’ll learn how to correct these mistakes and cultivate lifegiving habits so that you’ll be well on your way to an intimate, flourishing, ceaseless relationship with your Creator.

As I type this, it’s the night before an appointment with a doctor. Not my annual physical or some other appointment that I had expected to have this year, but instead it’s an appointment with a specialist for a possible diagnosis I never considered I’d have to face….

The other day my boss asked me how I liked my job. It was an interesting question because he knows that this is nowhere near where I expected to be at this point in my life.

In high school, my dream was to move out of my small, Indiana hometown to the big city. Any big city, it didn’t matter. New York, Chicago, I even would’ve been ok with Indianapolis. But then when the time came to go to college, I strangely enough decided to stay. I had just gotten plugged into a good church and was surrounded by a lot of caring people. I just wasn’t ready to give that up yet. Plus it was only going to be 4 more years, and then I’d be out of here….

By the end of this post, you’ll see some of the core teachings of Jesus in a brand new light. Some of His teachings are not easy to understand. Others are easy to understand; they’re just not easy to swallow, so we end up reading alternative meanings into them. Sadly, even the most devoted believers are guilty of gross misreadings and misinterpretations.

Have you ever perused through Scripture, plucking out various Bible quotes, hoping to find an answer you’ve been waiting for? I’m here to tell you that you may never find it there. But that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost, nor does it mean that the Bible is good for nothing. It may just mean that God desires a different kind of relationship with you than you’ve been taught to believe. We’re going to explore that relationship in this post.

Sometimes God’s faithfulness is easiest to see when we look backward instead of forward. We’ve all heard the saying “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way,” and I agree with the sentiment of that statement. It is really unhealthy wallow in the past. But I’ve found that reflecting on the past can give you hope for the future…

There is no biblical mandate regarding baby baptism or dedication. Yet the ritual, for many, serves as a public declaration of the parents’ intent to raise the child for God’s glory. The heartwarming spectacle makes for a pleasant gathering of family and friends and often spawns some adorable photos. But can we make it into something more? Something that spills over the sanctuary stage and into the home?

Fasting is a spiritual discipline often overlooked. I don’t hear much about traditional fasting in church, though I have heard things like, “I’m going on a social media fast,” or “I’m going on a sugar fast.” And there’s nothing wrong with those. But the ancient practice of depriving oneself of food for extended periods of time, though gaining traction in the fitness world, is losing its place in the standard American Christian faith. But fasting can teach us how to get closer to God on several different levels.

You’ve enjoyed so many quality times together, and now your best friend texts to cancel lunch because she is sick. Really sick. What do you do with the unexpected free time? Turn your disappointment over the missed meeting into a thoughtful act of service for her.

Is Christmas a hard time of year for you? If you or someone you love is grieving during this season, here are some ideas to celebrate your loved one and bring some joy back to your Christmas celebration.

The friendships that make up our community are so important and yet, it can feel really awkward as a grown woman to walk up to someone and say “hey, let’s be friends!” We don’t want to be seen as that crazy lady….

It used to bedevil me. Sally Jean would post a photo of her steaming coffee and heavily annotated Bible at the same time every morning, and each post would incrementally dismantle my confidence in my own faith. My mornings didn’t look like that- at least not all the time. So the guilt gnawed at my conscience…

Are you struggling to find your purpose? I think most of us have a fairytale idea of searching for our purpose. We’re looking for that one big thing that is going to make a huge impact in the world or in the lives of the people around us. We’re looking for that one thing that we are going to be known for. But that just might be the problem. That might be why we struggle. Are we too focused on trying to be known ourselves, instead of making Him known?

There are a million "holiday" gift guides out there, but this one is special. We've created it specifically for the woman who knows the reason behind the season. Check out the must haves on our Christmas gift list this year.